One dies from injuries in Mt. Gilead plant explosion

MT. GILEAD — One of the two workers injured in an explosion and fire at a wood products plant near Mt. Gilead died at a Winston-Salem hospital early Wednesday.

The worker, whose identity was not immediately available, died at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to Jason Tyson, a communications officer for the N.C. Department of Labor (DOL) in Raleigh.

A condition report was not available for the second unidentified worker who was injured. That worker was airlifted to the burn center at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill.

Robbie Smith, director of Montgomery County Emergency Services, said Tuesday that a call came in to the 911 call center at approximately 3 p.m. Tuesday about an explosion and fire at Mohawk Industries’ Unilin MDF (medium density fiberboard) plant north of Mt. Gilead.

Smith said Wednesday that firefighters from four departments — Mt. Gilead, Biscoe, Troy and Wadeville — took shifts, staying overnight at the plant to make sure that everyone was safe.

Tyson said the state DOL’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Division is conducting an investigation into what happened. According to the department’s website, an investigation can take anywhere from a few weeks to six months, depending on the accident. If citations and penalties are issued, that information will be released when the investigation is complete.